Citizenship test: Collective action required, or expect endless delays, years. Example of the effective lobbyng of people awaiting spousal sponsorship

[twrooney]

As an applicant, I am certainly hoping everything could speed up. However, I am only afraid that should any of these measures (e.g. 3) through 5)) be even proposed, the opposition and "human rights lawyers" would waste no time in attacking the government. It is perhaps also unfair to compare the citizenship test to the AAMC tests (e.g. MCAT, USMLE) mentioned earlier in the thread. The CIC test seems to be more of a ceremonial significance and tradition formality than it is an "exam".

I am confident that the CIC must have contingency plans for situations like this, but they are just slow or not keen on implementing one.

In the defence of the CIC bureaucrats.
If anything goes wrong with the online test (e.g. connection, accessibility, time zone, "cheating", etc), the CIC gets the blame.
If any applicant gets sick due to writing the test, the CIC gets the blame.
If any CIC worker gets sick due to working, the CIC gets the blame. I rather not to have this happening, as it would otherwise be exploited as a real excuse for another shutting down.
Then it might as well just do nothing, where only the fearless COVID gets the blame, and the CIC remains a caring employer and beacon for ensuring public health and safety (with sarcasm of course).

Well there are million of excuses if they don't want to do something. Government will be blamed if they do good Government will be blamed if they do bad. Human right lawyers didn't go to roads to protest how COVID has taken people's freedom so Human rights lawyer will not come to roads if IRCC take consent from the applicant and make this optional like whoever wants to take this.

With respect to ceremonial experience, Oath Ceremonies which are more traditional and ceremonial based have been shifted to online version so that point is also nullified.

 

[redalot]

I am feeling so tired and exhausted, but the truth is that tests are least of their priorities, its a huge clog in the pipeline and they have to come up with a solution to fix it...

 

[piotrqc]

I am feeling so tired and exhausted, but the truth is that tests are least of their priorities, its a huge clog in the pipeline and they have to come up with a solution to fix it...

Who or what makes you say that?

Explain to us, please.

With all due respect, you are speculating here, so a false hope. It can be associated with passivity I think.

I think that, unfortunately, the more this attitude of passivity of the candidates will continue, the more the employees of IRCC CIC will continue to take advantage of the current blocking situation (disposition 699 + power of their union) to continue to relax quietly without doing anything with it. our taxes, and the taxes of all Canadian taxpayers (or not) ...

Time flies very quickly, and years go by, and as I presume, the union will require a daily ratio of new infections of the virus of zero cases + an effective vaccine ... Which means that the blockage could continue for years even after the release of an effective vaccine ...

In short, with the general attitude of passivity and unresponsive expectation, I decided to accept this calamity. It will take years and years, maybe 5 or more. Nobody can know, before being able to hope to be a Canadian citizen (... To assume that the council party does not come to break the dream of everyone by setting the record straight to zero, and by changing the rules retroactively).


As I expressed in a previous post, I think the cultural element plays in this passivity, I quote:

... But there is also another element that worries me: Most candidates for Canadian citizenship come from countries that are not very democratic, or not democratic at all ... Maybe the reason for the cultural background of different origins plays a role in this situation of passivity? ...

In any case, there will be a vote of confidence next Monday ... If by bad luck the current Liberal government falls and the very right-wing Conservatives O'toole win by a majority, we may have to prepare. to see our applications canceled and returned, and the rules changed retroactively ...
The horror scenario

 

[Das67]

Looks like no election is going to happen soon.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7359748/ndp-throne-speech-election/amp/?

 

[Citizen19]

Good news is - I have already applied for PR card renewal

 

[mbv747]

What about exempting completely the applicants from Tests?
i guess the success rate is 99.99% so it's just a formality.....

 

[Seym]

What about exempting completely the applicants from Tests?
i guess the success rate is 99.99% so it's just a formality.....

Unfortunately impossible without a citizenship act change. They can modify the test type, and, for example, a simple live Q&A with an officer over zoom could probably satisfy the law's requirements, but skipping it is just not happening :/

 

[piotrqc]

We now have NO EXCUSE for doing nothing and remaining passive. As I pointed out in the title of this topic that I started, the example and activism of spousal sponsors has been very effective. They achieved their goals by organizing themselves a little, by doing simultaneous sittings in front of IRCC CIC offices, by alerting the press, and their local parliamentarian.

The choice now is simple: Follow their example, or agree to wait years and years (The Union of Federal Workers and Article 699 are not going to give you any gifts: Do not dream ... The happy world of Telletubies with happy ending does not exist).

Read this article to find out just how much noise and demanding a few things - by legal and legitimate means - can be more effective than passivity and just `` hope '' happy ending:

https://globalnews.ca/news/7361698/coronavirus-ottawa-ease-border-restrictions/

Quotes from the article:

The federal government is expected to announce next week that it will ease border restrictions that were preventing Canadians from seeing family members and loved ones that are foreign nationals living in another country.

...

Nate Erskine-Smith, the Liberal MP for Beaches-East York, told the online rally that while he had not been told how the government will change the rules, he said he had been told that a rule change will be announced in the week ahead.


The current pandemic is not about to end (even if they find an effective vaccine TOMORROW MORNING, it will take some time to produce the vaccines, distribute them, and administer them to people ... In the meantime the union will surely require a worldwide daily ratio of new cases of zero = several additional years of waiting) ...

I think it would be wise in view of this situation to require some form of online testing to address this issue.

The trickle-down “re-testing” only in Vancouver is not a solution at all.

Please continue to contact your local federal parliamentarians + the NDP deputy responsible for immigration ... And also, you have to do it sooner or later: Consider going out for sittings in front of the IRCC CIC offices.

 

[Coco7]

We now have NO EXCUSE for doing nothing and remaining passive. As I pointed out in the title of this topic that I started, the example and activism of spousal sponsors has been very effective. They achieved their goals by organizing themselves a little, by doing simultaneous sittings in front of IRCC CIC offices, by alerting the press, and their local parliamentarian.

The choice now is simple: Follow their example, or agree to wait years and years (The Union of Federal Workers and Article 699 are not going to give you any gifts: Do not dream ... The happy world of Telletubies with happy ending does not exist).

Read this article to find out just how much noise and demanding a few things - by legal and legitimate means - can be more effective than passivity and just `` hope '' happy ending:

https://globalnews.ca/news/7361698/coronavirus-ottawa-ease-border-restrictions/

Quotes from the article:

The federal government is expected to announce next week that it will ease border restrictions that were preventing Canadians from seeing family members and loved ones that are foreign nationals living in another country.

...

Nate Erskine-Smith, the Liberal MP for Beaches-East York, told the online rally that while he had not been told how the government will change the rules, he said he had been told that a rule change will be announced in the week ahead.


The current pandemic is not about to end (even if they find an effective vaccine TOMORROW MORNING, it will take some time to produce the vaccines, distribute them, and administer them to people ... In the meantime the union will surely require a worldwide daily ratio of new cases of zero = several additional years of waiting) ...

I think it would be wise in view of this situation to require some form of online testing to address this issue.

The trickle-down “re-testing” only in Vancouver is not a solution at all.

Please continue to contact your local federal parliamentarians + the NDP deputy responsible for immigration ... And also, you have to do it sooner or later: Consider going out for sittings in front of the IRCC CIC offices.

They will ease border restrictions for COMPASSIONATE visits, which are very urgent matters and not comparable to the Citizenship process for the majority of applicants.

 

[piotrqc]

They will ease border restrictions for COMPASSIONATE visits, which are very urgent matters and not comparable to the Citizenship process for the majority of applicants.

So let's do what is necessary to make citizenship a priority for them ... We have to make noise to be able to hope for a solution within a reasonable timeframe, for example online tests ...

Otherwise you have to expect years and more years of waiting.

 

[Coco7]

So let's do what is necessary to make citizenship a priority for them ... We have to make noise to be able to hope for a solution within a reasonable timeframe, for example online tests ...

Otherwise you have to expect years and more years of waiting.

I think you missed my point: what I’m trying to highlight is that despite protests, articles and online petitions the government is only focusing on urgent matters right now, like compassionate border exceptions for relatives of an ill Citizen / PR . The article you shared clearly shows that all other non-essential processes are a low priority at the moment and given that we are already in a second wave they will remind like that, no matter how much you try to mobilize.

 

[canvis2006]

IMO, the only suitable option is to bypass tests altogether and just have oaths for those that qualify.
During a pandemic such method should be used, and resume tests when its/if/when pandemic over.
Lots of organizations and companies changed procedures and streamlined stuff due to covid, why not in this matter.
Otherwise files will just be at standstill at testting stage.
Incompetence and unwillingness is real in canada, specially for cic. They can't even digitize this ancient paper-heavy department even in 2020.
Many other countries even have online applications for their national IDs, passports etc but here they still insist on filling forms, taking photos.

 

[vegasIndian]

IMO, the only suitable option is to bypass tests altogether and just have oaths for those that qualify.
During a pandemic such method should be used, and resume tests when its/if/when pandemic over.
Lots of organizations and companies changed procedures and streamlined stuff due to covid, why not in this matter.
Otherwise files will just be at standstill at testting stage.
Incompetence and unwillingness is real in canada, specially for cic. They can't even digitize this ancient paper-heavy department even in 2020.
Many other countries even have online applications for their national IDs, passports etc but here they still insist on filling forms, taking photos.

Lol. And still you chose Canada?

 

[Dana.D]

Lol. And still you chose Canada?

Well not everyone has the luxury of getting to choose. Not everyone's life is as easy as you think.

 

[anton_k]

Shouldn't we continue writing to journalists? Only after a couple of articles (CBC, for instance), IRCC moved forward and shared some news about tests.